The Rot of Retail

As a ravenous Moloch who demanded my energy and tore me to pieces before devouring me whole, I was callously spat out whenever I protested against the far-too-high expectations.

God, how unhappy I was!

As meager consolation for having no life outside my work, I was patted on the head with a minuscule raise and superficial trinkets that momentarily soothed my dopamine receptors.

But while my body and mind were protesting in vain, more and more was demanded. There was simply no end! More energy, more vitality, more inner grooming, more docility. I suffered panic attacks and eventually ended up in burnout.

That emptiness, you undoubtedly recognize. This is the reality of a system that knows exactly how to seduce us, yet gives little regard for our essence as human beings.

Believe me; I was good at it – a real ace, with numbers and KPIs holding no secrets. Yet it gnawed at me. The twisting in circles, deceiving customers and coaxing money from their pockets, drafting reports that only served to prove I knew my trade yet were never read afterward – it just became too much.

FOMO & Grooming

For those with an eye, companies no longer hide their tactics. They proudly display their “Service to Self”, often disguised as rainbow presentations in glossy mailings.

Beneath that lies the sour rain of exploitation and the chemtrails of unethical practices: “Yeah, that’s just how it goes everywhere,” they say when you dare to speak up to management. As if that makes it OK.

If you mention something behind the scenes to a colleague, you too are reprimanded – because even though corporate policy openly dictates that you support one another, behind the scenes they might indeed lend a listening ear. But be warned – the Red Khmer is almost always lurking around the corner, inevitably so when your colleagues are also your competition.

“For everything there is a solution!” they laugh in meetings, while in the corridors, they’re gossiping like crazy; the knife still stained with warm blood has only just been put away.

Slowly, it dawned on me: I was dying from this. Literally and figuratively. My vitality was draining away, and I would sour if I weren’t careful. This had to change.

The System That Squeezes

So FUCK to the companies that build reputations on half-truths, presenting themselves as green and pure on the outside, while in reality hardly taking responsibility for their share in pollution and exploitation!

Employees are under constant pressure because that’s what the multinational wants. Meanwhile, they live paycheck to paycheck, structurally underpaid, with countless free overtime hours – their precious years of life traded in like hired labor.

The Customer

With the customer, things are no better. They are bombarded with FOMO – fear of missing out – so that they purchase things they didn’t even truly want, resulting in shopping addiction.

The consumer’s nervous system is made so ravenous that the true beauty of indulgence and abundance thinking is reduced to the emptiness of the latest gadget.

It’s compensation for their own hard work, the consumer tells themselves.

And the advertisements tell us that shopping is the sweet sugar you need, even though we all know what sugar does to you.

Anti-Human

But above all, today’s corporate politics are anti-human. Especially in retail, where weekend – and even Sunday – obligations are the norm and healthy work-life balance is nowhere to be found. What energy level does such an employee even have left to take home?

A guy retreats and recharges with escapist activities. He plays games, watches TV absentmindedly, or drinks alcohol – often in combination. He has no capacity left even to tend to the household or to lead his family like a manly King. That person just wants to be left alone or vent through thoughtless sex – not even always with his partner.

And with his partner, it’s no better. For her yum-yum vitality is also depleted, and yet she’s expected to keep hustling after her day job. But someone who wears a friendly mask all day – no matter how earnestly she tries – can no longer find a receptive and chirpy Aphrodite within herself in the evening. Her creamy knickers are a barren wasteland, no juice hormone alive, and the laundry still needs to be done. So she complains to her partner about her emotions…

You see the scenario unfolding. Couples barely recognize themselves and each other as the years pass. People flee from themselves just to keep going, for their stress-cortisol must be suppressed somewhere.

The Way Out of Co-dependency for Customer and Employee

I’m well aware that I’m drawing hard lessons from all this, dear reader – you’ve thus found your way to my Flip-Thinking-corner. Before change can occur, we all must first confront ourselves. I am no exception.

But it’s not about merely ranting. It’s about the turnaround.

The co-dependency must be broken; our choices should stand on purer ground. The monetary exchange for talent isn’t trash to me – it’s merely an energy flow like any other.

What matters is that the manipulation has to be eradicated, and we must no longer seek excuses in terminology such as “Companies are having a hard time,” “It’s the economic crisis,” or “It’s the government’s fault”.

That is dogma. That is outdated, and agreeing with that line of reasoning makes us small and powerless as human beings.

Expecting a top-down institution – the clunky machine it usually represents – to do this for us is a utopia.

It means that the authentic power of free will must be given space again; it means our breath should once more form a proper yes or no, not just in words but in deeds.

Own Responsibility

This is what inevitably brings us back to ourselves. We – you and I – who’ll value our genuine authenticity once again.

Societal reconstruction begins with ourselves. Revolution demands that we look in the mirror until it cracks.

So how do we become so entangled in this madness and persist until we break?

“Why” is the question I asked myself. (And by the way, I’m changing my purchasing behavior!)

Action Over Passivity

My personal turnaround came when I realized that pleasing behavior is not dignified behavior. My pain had a purpose. It was the internal guiding force of my subconscious to wake up.

Concretely, this meant rigorous action amid burnout.

Whilst I expected this to drain me, the opposite was true.

Almost sensually, I felt my drive to act rising. I’d dare describe it as euphoric – oh, what a revelation…!

Step by step, I removed my outside world mask, and my body rewarded me by giving me back a dose of energy. Cautiously – still very emotionally and physically vulnerable from years of indirectly endorsing the madhouse – I reoriented myself.

And yet, it is so liberating to chart your own course!

Yes is YES – no is NO!

And that should be enough. Yet it often doesn’t turn out that way. Your environment will test you, for it’s easier for them if everything remains as is.

So here’s what I leave you with: reach out to a therapist and lay your whole story bare. This new path is one of falling and rising, but within that journey lies your true strength. Grant yourself permission to fail, so that you can attune with your inner self and discover what truly brings you joy.

A neutral person will not discourage or pull you back into the quicksand. They will accompany you like a buddy, as opposed to the (perhaps) well-intentioned but exhausting advice of your familiar environment.

Also, remember that some of the less well-intentioned advice may come your way, driven by a form of twisted societal jealousy because you dare to confront someone with their own inauthenticity.

Operating temporarily under the radar is, therefore, not a crazy idea. Before a plant bears fruit, it must first grow strong. Once the fruits begin to appear, it no longer matters what anyone thinks of your turnaround – and meanwhile, you remain safe in your process.

Energy Lives, and We Direct It

Once we no longer bear our discontent as a burden, but use it as fuel for personal reform – thereby raising a higher societal standard – we can honestly choose a lighter life.

Taking 100% responsibility does not mean you have to do everything yourself. The matrix’s inherent workings that connect everything will take care of that.

It does mean that you understand that you must take that first step in your liberation yourself. Out of the indoctrination of pseudo-security, away from unconscious nourishment on every possible level!

Put your hands firmly on the wheel!

If there are many of us, the status quo will tip, and the dinosaurs – the structures that pursue modern slavery – will have no say. Welcome, new world!

Now go Beyond, with integrating greetings,
∞ Tini ∞

-> Note to the Reader

After reading a blog in our Flip-Thinking-corner, we recommend contemplative time, drinking water, rest, and meditative thoughts.

The anger and frustration in these stories want to be heard and digested, but they do not intend to burn you.

A revealing book can help – something I read after writing this. I pass it on as a tip. Feel free to gift it to yourself via this affiliate link if this resonates with you. It is Bashar’s foundational work, and anyone who has explored Darryl Anka’s work – the one who channels Bashar – knows that it is laced with logical humor and approached from an extraterrestrial view of our humanity. Fascinating! 😉

The Masters of Limitation: An ET’s Observation of Earth – Darryl Anka